Any thoughts?

[alldolledup]

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Hi everyone.... I was wandering if everyone could give me their input. I was recently accepted to the Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine; however, I was speaking to Brenda Cousins at the Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine, and it looks like I am going to have to make a decision about which school, I would like to go to. She told me to expect to be taken off the waiting list at Iowa State next week and that I will have 72 hours to make a final decision.

I feel that I can get a good education at both schools, but my long term goals are to get into a good residency program. As of right now, my dream would be to be matched to the small animal internal medicine program at the AMC in New York City. However, I would like everyone's opinion on which school, they think that I would have a better chance achieving that goal at.

Furthermore, I would also like to know if anyone thinks that one school has a better reputation or better facilities over another. Thanks everyone. Alldolledup

 

[ri23]

First off I want to mention that I know absolutely nothing about Iowa's program. If I remember correctly, I believe that you have a contract position at OSU, so I'm assuming the tuition would be cheaper at OSU. I really don't know about getting residencies, but OSU has excellent facilities, faculty members and a great reputation.

 

[Angelo84]

Hi,
I applied to both Iowa and Ohio among other schools. I was accepted at Ohio and ended up turning down their offer to attend Tufts. However I really liked their facilities and the professors I met with really knew their stuff and were very willing to bend over backwards to help their students. The main reasons I chose to turn down Ohio were that you are in lecture/anatomy lab only for the first two years and I am interested in small animal behavior which is not a really big deal at Ohio. I was told I was accepted right after the interview as I was leaving the building and it was the first school I was offered admission at which gave me very positive feelings towards the school. Also one of the vets I work with went to Ohio and really liked it. Once I got the paperwork I wrote Iowa to withdraw my application. I withdrew for Iowa since they are know to have a great program for large animals I am sure that their small animal stuff is good too but they are known as a good food animals school. The other factor was distance from home. I know that you can get in state tuition at Ohio after a year if you jump through the right hoops. I am not sure what there hoops are but they seem to make it relatively easy to get residancy for the purposes of tuition.

So my advice would be to go to Ohio. Hope it helps!

Anna

 

[silverelf]

if you have residency at one, i'd go there....i don't think there's enough of a difference between the two schools to warrant paying a ton more money.

 

[Angie09]

However, I would like everyone's opinion on which school, they think that I would have a better chance achieving that goal at.

I don't think that we, as fellow pre-vets, are necessarily the most informed people of whom to ask this. You'd probably be better off going straight to the source -- look up the head of the residency program you're interested in, and e-mail her. FWIW, I had the same question, and did exactly what I'm advising you to do, and most of the program heads I e-mailed all said pretty much the same thing. The internship people said it doesn't really matter where you go, just how you do wherever you go; and the residency people said it doesn't really matter where you go, just how you do in your internship and how you do wherever you go. I didn't write to anyone at the AMC, but I'll bet you a dollar they'd say the same thing. 🙂

Either way, good luck!

 

[animalallergy]

Alldolledup,

So you called and asked about the waitlist? What did you say? I want to call OSU and ask them, but I'm kinda shy and don't want them to yell at me. I also want to change my contact email, but am scared that they will yell at me. But maybe it is just due to the "polite lady" who is cited often on Ohio Threads that scares me.....

 

[alldolledup]

Hi animalallergy...Don't be scared, but I do know what you mean by the "polite lady". If I were you, contact Gregory Graham, instead of the "polite lady". His e-mail is [email protected] and his phone number is (614)292-8831. He is actually the director of veterinary student services and admissions and can give you the information that you want. He is really nice, so don't worry, and don't be shy about calling up there because this is your future that you are talking about, and I want to see you in Columbus this fall!! If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. Alldolledup.

 

[ri23]

The polite lady you are referring to is Taira Crockett (the woman that sends out the emails). Rest assured, I have heard she got much nicer after acceptances/rejections went out (I'm sure she doesn't have to deal with as many phone calls anymore). You can call Greg, or maybe even the Professional Admissions office. If they have made some sort of decision, and a letter would be going out they would know. Granted they usually can't tell you over the phone but the woman I talked to told me I could "go ahead and celebrate" so sometimes they'll give you a clue.

 

[mtrl1]

I really don't think which vet school you attend is going to impact your shot at a residency. Your grades will matter, as well letters of recc from your professors, and most importantly, the vets at the internship you'll have to complete first.

 

[JIKJen124]

The polite lady you are referring to is Taira Crockett (the woman that sends out the emails). Rest assured, I have heard she got much nicer after acceptances/rejections went out (I'm sure she doesn't have to deal with as many phone calls anymore).

I was wondering if I was the only one who noticed a remarkable difference in tone recently!!

Granted they usually can't tell you over the phone but the woman I talked to told me I could "go ahead and celebrate" so sometimes they'll give you a clue.

Mr. Graham called me with my admission decision (he actually caught me in the parking lot walking into Hallmark to by wrapping paper - I only picked it up because the number showed up the same way my sister's does on my phone). So, it's definitely possible to find out by phone... Whether it'll work if you initiate contact vs. them calling you, I don't know. It can't hurt to try.😳

As for the OP - my vote is obviously for OSU. Things to consider besides what has been already mentioned... I have no idea what the town is like at Iowa State, but for quality of life Columbus is just great! As much or more city/fun/hip/cultural as anywhere in the midwest, but the country isn't far away if that's more your style. The facilities for the first two years are certainly the nicest I've seen at the seven schools I've visited, the small animal hospital is typical for it's vinitage, but the equine/large animal facilities are fantastic. Cost of living is reasonable - not as cheap as cornfield towns, but not bad either.

I hope this helps...

 

[ri23]

I was wondering if I was the only one who noticed a remarkable difference in tone recently!!

Maybe she started reading SDN and realized what a negative impression she was giving 😉

 

[mochavet]

ISU is located in a great town. I went to undergrad there and loved it. It is a very friendly place and things are relatively cheap. I think I paid $240 a month to share a new four bedroom apartment with three others. The vet school is also great. They are in the process of building a new large animal facility among other things and once they are done, the school should be awsome. Best of luck with your big decision.